1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a displaying and conveying apparatus for endlessly conveying articles to be displayed to a display location and a game machine using such a displaying and conveying apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
There is known a game machine comprising a rotary display platform for moving articles along a conveyance path and means for picking up and taking out the articles. One of such game machines is described in Japanese Utility-Model Laid-Open No. Sho 62-157593.
Such game machines are usually in the form of a crane type game machine which comprises a rotary display platform located in and covered with a transparent plastic cover and rotatably driven while carrying many articles, a crane having a shovel for picking up one of the articles from the rotary display platform, and an articles gaining port for taking out the picked article. When a player depresses a start button or the like, the crane can be actuated to move to a position directly above an article to be picked out. The shovel mounted on the crane at its lower end can be then manipulated by the player to pick up the article and to take it out through the article gaining port when the article is picked out by the shovel.
Such a game machine has the following disadvantages since it utilizes the rotary disc-like table as conveying means:
(1) The space in which the articles are displayed is limited by the configuration of the rotary table which is used as conveying means. Thus, the housings of many game machines are frequently limited to be of a circular or square cross-section. Particularly, the prior art cannot provide a display space having its transversely spread configuration. PA1 (2) When the rotary table is used as conveying means, the articles will endlessly be conveyed while being maintained at their invariable positions on the rotary table. The articles will not be agitated on the rotary table. Even if the player effortfully manipulates the crane to pick up an article covered by the other articles, he can hardly take it. This will spoil the pleasure of the crane game. PA1 (3) In the prior art game machine using the rotary table, articles on the rotary table adjacent to the outer periphery thereof, such as stuffed dolls, may be gradually damaged by contacting the transparent plastic cover of the game machine when the table is being rotated. Since the articles are frequently moved along the endless path for a long time in such a game machine, it was desired to avoid the damage of the articles due to continuous rotation of the table.